Clinton warns North Korea against rocket launch

Mexico City, March 26 (DPA) US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned North Korea there would be consequences if the Stalinist state went ahead with a planned long-range missile launch. Speaking at the sidelines of her visit to Mexico, Clinton said Wednesday that a launch would be regarded a “provocative act” that would not go unnoticed.

Pyongyang earlier announced plans to launch a communications satellite, which is regarded by the US as a smokescreen for testing its long-range Taepodong-2 missiles that are theoretically capable of reaching US territory.

Clinton reacted to reports that North Korea moved the multi-stage missile to a launch pad.

The US, South Korea, Japan and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon have all warned North Korea against its planned launch between April 4 to 8, but Pyongyang said the six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programme would break down if the UN imposes sanctions for the launch.

“We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks, which we would like to see revived and moving forward as quickly as possible,” Clinton said, adding that the US regarded North Korea’s actions a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.